Managing Your Mental Health
HR has collected a great set of mental health resources to help you manage the ups and downs of our COVID-19 experience. Our VPFO HR staff is on campus every day for confidential conversations. See below for this week’s HR duty roster.
A few of the courses and resources available to you in the next few weeks:
- August 19: Money Talks: Debt Freedom
- August 24: Positive Coping Strategies: Supporting Your Mental Health
- August 27: Change, Wellbeing and You
- September 10: Leading Change and Caring for Others
- Anytime:
A new service is now available to match faculty and staff needing in-home child care support with students in the Faculty of Education’s Early Childhood Education program.
Last week’s updates from UBC
- August 6: President’s Blog: Statement from Santa J. Ono on the tragic events in Beirut.
General updates about UBC and its response to COVID-19 continue to be updated at covid19.ubc.ca.
Department updates
VPFO
- IRP Role-Specific Training: The IRP training team has started reaching out to relevant members of the VPFO about role-specific training sessions. This training is important to complete in preparation for Workday go-live, so please register for the training sessions that apply to you when prompted to do so.
Facilities – Building Operations, Energy & Water Services, and Infrastructure Development
- Project Services’ Project Coordinators on-site support schedule this week: Please continue to contact the designated Project Manager/Coordinator for project inquiries.
- August 10-14: Darren Herrington & David Kosub
- Victor Wong & David Meek are on vacation
- Infrastructure Development/Properties Trust project list: August 2020 project list and status available on the Facilities website.
- Custodial Services staff: Buildings Operations is increasing the number of custodial staff on campus.
Finance – Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence, and Treasury
- First Quarter Financial Report: The Comptroller’s team is finalizing the Q1 report for 2020/21, which will be submitted to the audit committee this month.
- Tangible Capital Assets Policy: A working group in the Comptroller’s team is developing a new policy to establish the accounting treatment for the purchase, maintenance, and disposal of tangible capital assets. The draft policy will be submitted to the audit committee this month.
- Financial Impact of COVID-19: The monthly reporting format for the tracking of COVID-19 financial impact is being finalized, and training is being provided to Finance Officers from across the university’s faculties and administrative units.
Operations & Advising – Communications & Engagement and Human Resources
- Reduced Communications & Engagement Coverage August 10-14: This week Yvonne Kwok and Chris Freek will be covering all Communications & Engagement needs for the VPFO.
- New Central HR website: Later in August, HR will be launching an improved HR website.
- VPFO HR on-site support schedule this week:
- August 10: Gregor Macdonald, Rachel Lau
- August 11: Matt Furgal, Kasia Burza
- August 12: Gregor Macdonald, Kasia Burza
- August 13: Arvind Kang, Rachel Lau
- August 14: Arvind Kang, Gregor Macdonald
Safety & Risk Services
- COVID-19 Safety Planning: Team members from SRS continue to support UBC in COVID-19 Safety Planning activity, advising on and approving plans to inform local safety measures. Work is also ongoing to review and optimize COVID-19 related content on the SRS website.
Other notable updates
TRAINING NOW AVAILABLE FOR ALL BASIC WORKDAY SYSTEM USERS
UBC will be transitioning to a new Finance and Human Resources system, Workday, on November 2. At that time our current system, PeopleSoft, will no longer be available to you. Workday will hold the basic information you will need to work at UBC, like the ability to manage your personal information (your address, emergency contacts and other details), viewing your pay slips, requesting and reporting absences, and managing your benefits. To access Workday you will need to know your CWL and complete some simple training available to two employee groups:
By August 21, Vice-President of Finance & Operations, Perter Smailes, has asked that all VPFO staff have completed this basic training. Questions? vpfo.workdayreadiness@ubc.ca is where we’ll both answer questions and help the IRP update their knowledge base and other support resources.
AAPS EDUCATION AWARDS
This year, AAPS is pleased to be offering 15 awards valued at up to $1,000 each to AAPS members, your spouses/common-law partners, and children who are pursuing courses during this academic year for education or professional development. Applications for the AAPS Education Awards are now open and you can apply on their website. For more information, contact aaps.engagement@ubc.ca.
TARGETING YOUR WORK TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AT UBC
Getting your work seen and understood by the right people can be critical to your project’s success. The new VPFO Communications & Engagement website includes a whole section geared at helping you understand the ready-made ways you can reach our main audiences — whether within the VPFO, the wider UBC community, or beyond.
UBC CONNECTS KICKS OFF FALL SESSIONS WITH JUSTICE: A VIEW FROM SOUTH AFRICA
UBC Connects presents Justice Edwin Cameron, a former judge of South Africa’s highest court and human rights lawyer. Join this virtual event on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 10:30 a.m.
NITOBE MEMORIAL GARDENS IS READY TO WELCOME GUESTS ONCE AGAIN
Due to the confined space of Nitobe Garden, each appointment will be 25 minutes in duration. Book your timeslot today on UBC Botanical Gardens’ website.
Helpful news
People have been suggesting news articles that they have found informative or helpful at work. These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply editorial to this content.
- We are all busy with a lot of commitments, some of which we took on back when the world was a bit easier to navigate. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is to break up with your commitments and create a life a little easier to manage.
Sharing an article that may be helpful to your peers? Send it to communications@vpfo.ubc.ca at any time.